AUBREY

ten

[Aubrey's POV]

"I think I am going to pass out," Eli turns to Fallon, his eyes dreary and tired, "will you catch me?" Her eyes widen at his question quickly before she frowns, looking away. 

Cain and I had sneaked out from the residence at eleven, through the never ending trees, under the blanket of grey skies. We had gotten lost plenty of times, raising our frustration at each other. But, as soon as we reached the small tavern and being seated at a small booth, alcohol had flooded away our anger. 

"She doesn't need saving, she's so strong and independent," Cain smirks, taking a sip from his drink. Fallon, being 'god tier at drinks' had surprised us with folk drinks: bitter, but addictive.

"Do you want to see how strong I can be when I castrate you?" She scowls, her dark eyes turning fiery. Cain simply laughs, flipping his finger at her.

Whilst they continue to bicker, I take a longer look around the tavern. The walls are painted grey, pieces of the wallpaper chipping away, and a large feature, brick wall in the middle. Fairy lights coat the darkness, illuminating plenty of booths around us; the people are cheery and carefree, no one even sober enough to care. Including me. Drink after drink, my mind weakens slightly, my speech slowly slurring. 

"The residence could never," I perk up, eyes widening, "be as cool as this place."

The others nod in agreement, Eli, especially. "That's because the resident house is full of-"

"Full of shit," Fallon quips, her hand covering his mouth, earning a softening gaze from him.

"You are so in love with each other, ohmygod!" I squeal, tugging on Cain's shirt.

"Listen, blondie, I will take you out back and stab you," she warns, her face resting back into her natural scowl.

"You were not a meanie yesterday," I mutter, taking a big gulp.

"Because I was probably high." 

Cain's lips twitch as he tries to cover it, his eyes looking elsewhere. "This place is becoming boring now, and these two," he nods at Eli and I, "are already shit faced, let's ditch."

"And go where?" Eli asks, dragging his gaze back up from the napkins he's playing with.

Cain shrugs, looking at me. A simple gesture that makes me want to word vomit, to put it as bluntly as possible. "Where do you wanna go?"

I frown in thought, noticing him staring at me intently, and I stick my bottom lip out more, stifling a giggle. "A barn. There was a barn, I think, not too far from here."

They all nod as we scoot out of the booth. Eli, in the process, takes a large step and wobbles, causing Fallon to grab him protectively, scowling at him. Except, her gaze is softer this time.

"Stupid," I snort at Eli, making my own way out to meet Cain on the other side. I miss two steps worth of space, my legs falling out from under, and the rush of panic floods in, before a pair of hands grab me. Cain grips my elbows, keeping me upright; looking at him directly, my cheeks begin to warm immensely - probably because of the alcohol. "Who's stupid now, Aubrey?" he purrs, his warm breath tickling my cheek.

I glower at him, letting go of his touch reluctantly and following the others, ignoring the husky laugh behind me. Fallon leads the rest of us through paths of darkness, twisting through corners of bushes behind bushes, until light finally spills onto the path. The barn that I'd seen from earlier becomes clearer in my vision, and we silently tread in. Inside, it's pitch black, the light from the outdoor lamps proving useless. Cain shuffles around, feeling for anything to help - landing upon some candles. After he and Eli squabble on who should light it based on safeness (Cain, definitely Cain), they both light candles scattered around with their lighters. The small sources of light brighten the barn, the sight being underwhelming: stacks of hay placed in various places; pillows on either side of the barn lay beside some hay, and in the middle, bottles of water pile upon each other.  Above us, a large space in the roof makes way for streams of moonlight, adding a soft glow.